Review of Taken (2004) by Brian S — 07 Jun 2015

To call 2009s Taken a guilty pleasure would be a disservice to the film. It would be a backhanded compliment due to the fact that such a term would imply it isn't good in a traditional sense, when in fact, it is.

But maybe calling it a guilty pleasure is purely because of how much fun it is. Although the main plot isn't "fun"-about a man's teenage daughter being kidnapped (or... Taken) in Europe and his attempt to rescue her-the viewing experience is and for a variety of reasons.

One of the reasons is Pierre Morel's pulpy (and hard broiled) direction, the other is Liam Neeson's performance as an action hero (never gets old) but the clincher is Robert Mark Kamen and Luc Besson's great, genre-centric script.

Yes, the same Besson who has proven himself the master of the stylish genre picture (La Femme Nikita, Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element) and the pairing have gone back to a dormant genre-the vigilante, one-person killing machine, save-your-family-at-all-costs action genre of the 70s and 80s-and it has sorely been missed.

Not since the days of the single-minded madness of Charles Bronson in 1974s Death Wish (and it's sequels), Arnold handling a bazooka in 1985s Commando or Bruce Willis being in the wrong place at the wrong time in 1988s Die Hard (and it's sequels) has a character been this aggressive, clinical and wrathful in their pursuit of a goal-and it is a joy to watch.

Added with a surprisingly intricate script and a solid performance from Neeson to give life to the character, Taken is a worthy successor of said genre. Although some of the acting in the film is sometimes subpar (seeing Maggie Grace-playing the 17-year-old kidnapped daughter-convey youth through running like a 5-year-old adds to the fun) never diminishes the product and adds to the escapism the film succeeds at creating.

Perhaps the guilt with viewing Taken would to not enjoy it.